The Simplicity of Marriage
by Lady of Ithilien
Summary: Marriage is easy when you're in love, right? MirokuSango one-shot.


Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I'm making no money off of this. So there.

**The Simplicity of Marriage**

-

They hadn't even been married a month, and already Miroku was back to his old antics. Did he think Sango wouldn't notice, or wouldn't care? No, he knew her far better than that. Part of her wondered if he'd been flirting with that village girl just to get a rise out of his new wife.

If that had been his intention, he'd certainly gotten what he wanted.

Their argument afterwards had stayed within the confines of their little hut, but Sango wouldn't have been surprised if the whole village had heard it. Well… heard _her_, at least; Miroku had gotten rather irritated at the end, but had never once raised his voice.

_Of course_, she thought with a scowl. _Wouldn't want to make _him _look like the bad guy, would we?_

Throughout the argument, Sango hadn't even mentioned the source of her ire. She hadn't needed to, choosing instead to confront him about a leak in their roof that he'd failed to mend before the previous night's rain. The fight had escalated from there, moving into a general area of who was and wasn't fulfilling their responsibilities in the relationship.

Sango blew out a morose sigh. Her anger was starting to ebb away to be replaced with sadness. The unfairness of it all tore at her – she thought that she had gotten everything she wanted. They'd defeated Naraku; she'd thought that the happy part would come next.

_But I _am _happy, right?_ It could have been worse – she could have ended up like so many other girls her age, trapped in a loveless marriage. Sango had decided many years before that she would not end up like that. But she had never wondered about the fundamentals of marriage, even after Miroku had proposed to her. With Naraku alive, she hadn't had time to think, could only dare to hope about the future.

Now she was living the future that had not long before seemed too far away to even consider. Now she was someone's wife, now she had to cook and clean and make sure her husband was content. But even as her husband, Miroku was still the same as ever – and perhaps that was what made everything so difficult.

For all the grief he sometimes gave her, she knew that he was trying. He helped provide the food for her to cook, and had choked down her early culinary efforts without complaint. He was gentle and patient, had not even attempted intimacy with her until a week after their wedding day.

And yet…

Sango clenched her fists at the memory of him ogling that pretty young village girl. Not that she wasn't used to such occurrences; when it had happened in the past, she'd always tried to tell herself that it shouldn't bother her. After all, it wasn't as though she could've staked a claim to him back then. But now she didn't have the luxury of lying to herself about it – now she was his wife, and she had every reason in the world to be bothered.

Why did it seem like things had been so much simpler when they'd all been fighting for their lives?

A casual voice from behind cut through her thoughts. "I wish you wouldn't run off like that. I don't mind giving you a head-start, but I'd appreciate it if you'd at least tell me which way you're going."

Sango's scowl deepened. _How can he be so calm after I've just spent half and hour shouting my lungs out at him?_

When she didn't respond, Miroku sat down in the grass beside her. "I don't suppose there's a chance you want to work this out, is there?" But he frowned slightly when he saw the melancholy seeping in to usurp her surly expression. "Sango?"

She could barely hear her own voice when she spoke the words that pained her to even consider: "Maybe we went too fast."

She didn't need to look at him to know that she'd caught him off-guard with that remark. Somehow, that thought wasn't as satisfying as it should have been.

"Are you saying, then," Miroku replied slowly, his tone neutral, "that you're having regrets about our marriage?"

"I… I don't know anymore."

He was slow to respond, and when he did, his voice was steady as before. "Are you sure you aren't being too rash? You shouldn't make important decisions while you're upset. We both know how impulsive you tend to be."

Sango wanted very much to be offended by that comment, but the truth of it rang too clear.

Still she made no reply, and Miroku let out a deep breath. "You must do what you feel is right, of course. If you think you've made a mistake in staying with me, then… it would be wrong of me to try to stop you, no matter how much I care for you." He closed his eyes and bowed his head, the humble monk once more. "I could never live with myself knowing that I make you unhappy."

Sango blinked in surprise. Something in his tone made her heart clench anxiously; all at once the situation went from upsetting to urgent. _Is he asking if I want to leave?_ "You- you don't make me unhappy. Just… angry. And sometimes I wonder… I can't help thinking that _I _make _you _unhappy."

His lips lifted in a humorless smile. "I see. You still don't trust me."

She opened her mouth to refute this, but could find no words to do so. Instead, she pulled her knees up to her chin, hugging her legs to her chest. "Where do we go from here?"

Another sigh escaped Miroku. "I won't force you to stay—" Sango squeezed her eyes shut. "—however…" When she opened her eyes she found that his face was now inches away from hers and closing fast. His low voice belied the intensity of his stare as she quivered beneath a piercing gaze of violet. "I want you to know that my feelings will never change."

Sango was so overwhelmed by his fierce stare and gentle tone that it took a moment for his words to register. When they did, she gave her head a quick shake and shoved him away, putting his discerning eyes at a safer distance. "From what I saw today, it doesn't look like your _actions _are going to be changing much, either!" She then put her back to him and folded her arms across her chest.

It was so much easier to be angry.

"Ahh," he said knowingly. "So _that's_ what got you so worked up today."

Something close to a growl rumbled low in her throat. "Like it wasn't obvious!"

Her anger flared up even more when she heard the distinct sound of laughter coming from her husband. She whirled around to face him, eyes flashing dangerously. "And just what's so funny!"

Wiping away tears of mirth, Miroku placed a hand on her shoulder. "Forgive me, it's just… you had me so worried. For a while there I thought you really did want to leave me."

"Who says I don't?" she challenged.

He responded with an infuriatingly confident grin. "Over a little harmless flirting?"

"'Harmless flirting?' Is that what you call it! Oh, you're unbelievable!" She turned her back on him once again.

"Don't tell me that's really all that's been bothering you."

"I just… I thought…" Loathing the vulnerability in her quavering voice, Sango whispered, "I thought, when I became your wife, that you would be satisfied."

A hand came up to lightly caress her neck as Miroku's lips hovered beside her ear and spoke huskily, "'Satisfaction' doesn't even begin to cover what you bring me." And he nibbled gently on her earlobe.

Sango drew in a sharp breath. "Ah- hey!" She ducked and pulled herself out of his reach. "Don't think that a few sweet words are going to win me over! I'm still upset, you know!"

"Of course you are." His smile was far too smug for her liking.

"I should slap you for that," she muttered.

"If it'll make you feel better…"

She lifted her hand threateningly. "Is that an invitation?"

Miroku presented his oft-abused cheek to her. "By all means."

After a moment's deliberation, she lowered her hand with a long, irritated sigh. "I wouldn't give you the satisfaction."

"Very well." He moved in to kiss her.

_Smack!_

Miroku was nearly knocked off-balance by the force of her hand. He chuckled, rubbing the sore area fondly. "All right, now that you've had your release…" Before Sango could prepare another assault, he had her on her back, his lips descending hungrily on her neck.

She tried to remain stiff and unresponsive, but his skilled ministrations quickly broke down whatever defenses she could muster. She sighed in defeat.

"Sango," he murmured against her skin; his hand found and grasped hers tightly.

"You're a sneaky, lecherous, conceited excuse for a man," she said wearily. Her voice lowered to the faintest of whispers. "I couldn't leave you if I tried."

-

Sango was dozing in the grass a few hours later, wrapped in her husband's robes. Miroku lay behind her, his head propped up on his hand, lightly running his fingers up and down the scar on her back. His caresses gradually dragged her out of her lethargy, and stifling a yawn she craned her neck to look up at him.

She gave him a shy smile, and as a blush flew across her cheeks, she said, "I love you."

Grinning, he brought his other hand down to run through her hair. "I know."

Sango turned away from him, pulling his robes tighter around her body. She sounded almost guilty when she responded. "I hardly ever tell you, though…"

"Nonsense. You tell me every day." When she glanced back at him inquiringly, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, then bent down and began to idly run his lips across her shoulder. Between the feathering of kisses, he continued, "When you say my name… when you smile at me… whether you knew it or not, you've been telling me for quite a while, Sango."

The brush of his lips against her skin made her shiver. "The way you make me feel, how strongly you make me feel… it scares me, sometimes."

He buried his face in the bend of her neck. "You like being in control, and you can't always have that when you're in love. I expected you to be apprehensive about marriage, just as you were apprehensive about love."

Sango was silent for a moment before commenting, "You know, it's really annoying how you like to analyze me like that."

Miroku replied by tightening his grip on her small frame; she could feel him grinning into her neck.

She sighed, closing her eyes. "We still have a long way to go, don't we?"

"Of course," he said, yawning. "But I'm willing to be patient, if you don't mind sticking around."

A tired, peaceful smile spread across her face. "I suppose it won't be all that bad."

_**The End**_

Author's Blatherings: I wrote this story for two reasons. One: as an entry for the Inuyasha Fanfiction Challenge community's "happy ending" theme, where it won first place (!); two: to prove that we writers of traditional couples don't always restrict these relationships to sunshine and daisies. I think it's a misconception that has caused a lot of people to underestimate pairings like Miroku/Sango. So I wanted to explore the turmoil that I know will come about after Miroku and Sango are married (as I believe they will be with all my 'shipper heart).

Anyway, I hope you liked this!


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